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LONG TERM SEED STORAGE 20+ YEARS

MJBadger

Active member
Veteran
owing to the amazing ability of seeds to remain alive until conditions are optimal for growth, seeds can remain viable for hundreds of years when kept dry and frozen. The Millennium Seed Bank has some of the best equipment for cleaning, drying and processing seeds.

Millenium seed bank Kew , worth a look .
 

Tonygreen

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Damn and I was getting proud of my little collection of prescription jars with 20-30 beans in em :D
 
application of human rights
genetic preservation
economic outcome
peace of mind
medicine
hobby
more

...the reason I'm here...
 
S

sourpuss

Trashing thousands of popped beans from 30 years plus.... ;) u r the man!
 

Sam_Skunkman

"RESIN BREEDER"
Moderator
Veteran
Seeds 30 years, kept under refrigeration. Pollen, 25 years frozen in a lab freezer.
Seeds can be kept even longer if frozen in a lab freezer, -30c no defrosts.
-SamS
 

Sam_Skunkman

"RESIN BREEDER"
Moderator
Veteran
So I looked at the germination test again, that is 1 day in water, two days in paper towels, then % count, then two more days in paper towels and a second count.
More are at over 90% a few don't want to sprout.
Bottom line is 1/3 sprouted at over 90% after 20-25 years, another almost 1/3 have 10-25% the rest are 1-10%. I will let them go another few days and call it finished.
Some of the bigger sprouts are getting off colour in their roots, they need to be put in dirt, but I will not do that, this is just a % test.
 

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Gry

Well-known member
Veteran
To see things like this. Makes me feel really fortunate to live in these times and to be able to enjoy such a life.
Can't help but wonder what changed with respect to wanting to keep that quantity of seeds though.
 

Hammerhead

Disabled Farmer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
To see things like this. Makes me feel really fortunate to live in these times and to be able to enjoy such a life.
Can't help but wonder what changed with respect to wanting to keep that quantity of seeds though.


Sam use to provide large quantities of seeds. Not sure if he still does. Most that grew in the 70,80 maybe even the 90's in the states had Sam's seeds and didn't even know it.
 

Sam_Skunkman

"RESIN BREEDER"
Moderator
Veteran
I originally made these seeds to trial so I could focus in on keeper combinations, I did trial more then 1,000 of the original 4,000 mostly hybrids, I never got around to the other 3,000 mostly hybrids.
When I did the pollen work I tried to use every good male and every good female that I had that were different varieties, thats why I had 4,000 combos. If I had just 100 females and 40 males at the time that is the 4,000 combos. I had a few more males and females but did not use everyone in every case.
I like to do a decent size grow outs of at least 100 females for a trial, so you need to start 200+ seeds as half are males.
Don't worry about the few thousand I will trash from the germination testing, there are still another 5,000,000 to grow if I want. And these 5,000,000 are just a small part of my totals.
A metric ton is 1,000 kilos, I have several.
That is over 100 million seeds.
I doubt I will ever grow or use them all, but I can not help myself, I still collect landraces, and anything else I find interesting.
Terpenes are my interest for the last decade, that could keep me busy for decades more.....
Finding new ones, as well as understanding all the 140 currently listed in the literature. One reason I like growing new landraces is looking for new terpenes. I have found a few new GC peaks that I can't ID yet.
I look forward to single terpene varieties as well as when better understood, tailored terpene profiles with just the ones you want with none that you do not want for specific types of effects, and smells and tastes.

-SamS
 
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S

sourpuss

Have to wonder, what is the goal of the research? Not of this seed storage experiment, gotta wonder what your aim is? Where does all the research lead to? Preservation? Evolution? Stabilization?

Do you have people working for you? I think there is a whole army of people here willing to do things. Not sure how that would b coordinated? No time? Maybe you need more help.

Maybe none of our business, no prob. Just curious.

Not a hater, actually a big fan, with questions on my mind...
 
S

sourpuss

I just read u do things for the gov. Guess u actually have an army of people to do things for you:)

Must be fun...
 

Chimera

Genetic Resource Management
Veteran
I got one.
I need to be 30 years younger......
-SamS


Sir, we have got you covered. ;)

Thanks for all of the information you have shared over the last decade. Others are picking up the torch where you have left it. It has been an incredible inspiration knowing you, and seeing what you have accomplished even under such a strict prohibition. The dedication you have shown the species is incredible and largely unknown, and I thank you for the efforts you have put forth in the last 50 years.

Re: single terps vars. - that is highly unlikely in my opinion. Single terpene synthases are able to generate multiple possible terpenic outcomes. We're starting to see the different possible combinations and ratios, depending on which terps you qualify/quantify; however it seems to fall mostly into classes rather than single terpene profiles as it does with cannabs.

I look forward to the moment when we can publicly share the research we've been looking at over the past few years.

Regardless, your life's work has been educational to me personally, and I thank you for your contributions. Times spent with yourself and discussions with you and the Mrs have been incredibly educational and eye opening. I look forward to you having a chance for you to visit some day and hope we can offer the same in kind.

Respectfully,
-Chimera

PS- I would be interested if you could do a TTC assay on the non-germinating seeds to determine if they are actually dead, or rather just dormant...
 

mofeta

Member
Veteran
Hi Chimera

It is good to see you around. I miss your contributions.



Your mention of the tetrazolium test reminds me of some questions I have wondered about that you probably know the answer to.

What level of respiration is going on in a hibernating seed at room temperature?

What is the level of respiration in a dormant seed? Is it less than a hibernating seed?

Typical dormancy is a function of PGRs like abscisic acid, and responds to GA, but I think some dormancy is due to actual damage to the seed in some way (heat, age, etc). What are your tips for the germination of the latter?

Thanks in advance.
 

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